I went back through the books I read in 2024 and they’re somewhat disappointing. It’s hard to follow a year with Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow! But here’s something i hope will be an annual tradition (thank you, Bates!)

Top 5 list

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind - Shunryu Suzuki who brought zen to SF lays things bare, as i believe was the intention of this belief system. i’ve re-read this multiple times including extracting quotes, some of which grace this website. the commentary on understanding how much one can bear (the skilled ox drivers understands what his oxen can pull), the purpose of studying, and the degree to which one must pull themselves away from performing ritual for the sake of it has been stunningly revelatory.

The Will to Keep Winning - a little book, but absolutely changed the way i live my life. it’s about how when you hit the pinnacle of achievement you are able to keep with it, as written by a Street Fighter champion. the core take-away for me has been: winning is a byproduct of continuing to get better at something, that which shapes your honing of yourself.

The Fortunate Fall - a lovely cyberpunk / post-cyberpunk novel that was re-released from the 90s. an absolute raw gut punch of the best kind.

Empire of the Vampire - yes, i have a soft spot for vampire novels. this is grimdark and hard to put down. i’m reading the sequel now!

Scaling People - goes onto my shortlist of excellent business books. a very practical set of what the author did to run teams, rather than philisophical waxing. for example, here’s her set of emails she sends to employees if they are meeting or missing expectations. ironically, the last chapter (on managing oneself) where she does wax philosophical… it’s so good i printed out my notes and taped them to my monitor.

Honourable mentions

• Lean Marketing
• Titanium Noir
• We Are Legion, We are Bob (reread it with milo)
• A Scanner Darkly (the graphic novel)
• Lazarus (a graphic novel)
• The Nightmarchers
• Life Engineered
• The Nine